Google Analytics Certification Exam Sample Questions 1 — Questions and Answers

Question 1: Which of these user characteristics CANNOT be used to create a Custom Segment?

Users who have children (Correct answer)
Users 25 to 34 years of age who have their browser set to Spanish
Users that engaged in your social media or email campaigns
Users that viewed a page on your website and then watched a video

Correct answer: Users who have children

Google Analytics collects demographic data like age and language, and behavioral data like page views and video interactions, which can be used for custom segments. However, information about users having children is highly personal and not something Google Analytics collects or infers by default from website interactions, making it unavailable for segmentation.

Question 2: Which report shows the percentage of traffic that has visited your site before?

Behavior > New vs returning report (Correct answer)
Interests > Affinity categories report
Behavior > Frequency and Recency report
All traffic > Referrals report

Correct answer: Behavior > New vs returning report

The 'New vs Returning' report, found under the Behavior section, specifically categorizes users into those visiting your site for the first time (new users) and those who have visited previously (returning users). It provides metrics like the percentage of returning visitors, helping to assess user loyalty and engagement over time.

Question 3: Which of these could NOT be tracked using Goals in Google Analytics?

Customer’s lifetime value (Correct answer)
Signing up for a newsletter
Watching a video
Making a purchase

Correct answer: Customer’s lifetime value

Google Analytics Goals are designed to track specific user actions or engagements on your website, such as newsletter sign-ups, video plays, or purchases. Customer Lifetime Value (CLV) is a more complex, long-term metric that typically requires integrating transaction data with customer identifiers over an extended period, which goes beyond the scope of a single goal definition.

Question 4: You can only apply a Custom Dimension to data that was collected after you created the dimension.

False (Correct answer)
True

Correct answer: False

While custom dimension *values* are only collected and associated with data from the moment they are implemented in the tracking code, the custom dimension *itself* can be 'applied' to reports containing historical data. For data collected before the dimension's activation, the custom dimension will simply appear as '(not set)' in the report, meaning it's not *only* applicable to data collected after its creation in the sense of reporting.

Question 5: Which data table display compares report metrics to the website average?

Comparison (Correct answer)
Pivot
ercentage
Performance

Correct answer: Comparison

The 'Comparison' data table display in Google Analytics allows you to compare individual row metrics against the site average for that metric. This visual representation helps quickly identify performance outliers, showing which segments or items are performing significantly above or below the overall average.

Question 6: If a user watches a video with event tracking three times in a single session, Analytics will count how many Unique Events?

0
1 (Correct answer)
2
3

Correct answer: 1

Google Analytics counts 'Unique Events' based on the combination of Event Category, Event Action, and Event Label within a single session. Regardless of how many times the same event (e.g., watching a specific video) is triggered within that session, it will only be counted as one unique event. Total Events, however, would count all three occurrences.

Question 7: If a user visits the home page of a website with a video embedded and leaves without clicking on anything, Google Analytics will count this session as a bounce.

True (Correct answer)
False

Correct answer: True

A bounce in Google Analytics is defined as a single-page session on your site where the user leaves without any further interaction. If a user lands on a page and exits without triggering any events or navigating to another page, it's considered a bounce. Simply viewing an embedded video without associated event tracking for its play/interaction will not prevent a bounce.

Question 8: Which of these can be imported to define a remarketing audience?

Custom Segment (Correct answer)
Custom Metric
Custom Report
Custom Dimension

Correct answer: Custom Segment

Custom Segments, which define specific groups of users based on their behavior or demographics, can be imported and used as the basis for creating Remarketing audiences in Google Analytics. This allows you to target users who meet specific criteria for advertising campaigns. Other options like Custom Metrics, Reports, and Dimensions are not directly used to define audiences.

Question 9: If a filter excludes data from a view, that data can never be recovered for that view.

True (Correct answer)
False

Correct answer: True

Google Analytics filters are destructive, meaning they permanently alter the data as it is processed and stored in a view. Once data is excluded by a filter, it is gone forever from that specific view and cannot be recovered. It is crucial to test filters on a test view before applying them to a main reporting view.

Question 10: Which campaign parameter is NOT standard in Google Analytics?

utm_adgroup (Correct answer)
utm_campaign
utm_content
utm_source

Correct answer: utm_adgroup

The standard UTM parameters used by Google Analytics for campaign tracking are `utm_source`, `utm_medium`, `utm_campaign`, `utm_term`, and `utm_content`. While `utm_adgroup` is a common parameter used in advertising platforms like Google Ads, it is not one of the five standard UTM parameters recognized and processed by Google Analytics by default for campaign reporting.

Question 11: Which view filter(s) would you apply if you wanted to include only users from Brazil or Argentina?

Filter 1: include Brazil or Argentina (Correct answer)
Filter 1: include Argentina > Filter 2: include Brazil
Filter 1: include Brazil > Filter 2: include Argentina
Filter 1: exclude Peru or Bolivia

Correct answer: Filter 1: include Brazil or Argentina

To include users from multiple countries, a single 'Include' filter with a regular expression (regex) can be used to match both 'Brazil' and 'Argentina'. Applying separate 'Include' filters sequentially would result in only the last filter's criteria being met, effectively including only users from Argentina in this case. A single filter with an OR condition (e.g., 'Brazil|Argentina') is the correct approach.

Question 12: What is a “metric” in Google Analytics?

The numbers in a data set often paired with dimensions. (Correct answer)
The dates in your date range.
A segment of data separated out in a report for comparison.
A dimension that can help you analyze site performance.

Correct answer: The numbers in a data set often paired with dimensions.

Metrics in Google Analytics are quantitative measurements that represent numerical values, such as 'Sessions,' 'Pageviews,' or 'Bounce Rate.' They are typically paired with dimensions, which are descriptive attributes like 'City' or 'Source,' to provide context. This pairing allows for meaningful analysis, showing, for example, the number of sessions from a particular city.

Question 13: By default, when does an Analytics session expire?

When a user is inactive on your website for more than 30 minutes (Correct answer)
When a user opens another browser window
After 30 minutes, regardless of user activity on your website
At noon every day

Correct answer: When a user is inactive on your website for more than 30 minutes

By default, a Google Analytics session expires after 30 minutes of user inactivity on your website. If a user stops interacting with the site for this duration, the current session ends. A new session will begin if they return to the site after the 30-minute inactivity period, even if they haven't closed their browser.

Question 14: By default, which of these is NOT considered a “source” in Google Analytics?

Email (Correct answer)
com
Google
(direct)

Correct answer: Email

Google Analytics automatically categorizes traffic into default mediums like 'organic' (search engines), 'cpc' (paid campaigns), 'referral' (other websites), and 'direct' (typed URL). 'Email' is not a default medium; traffic from email campaigns typically needs to be tagged with UTM parameters to be specifically identified as 'email' medium, otherwise it might fall under 'referral' or 'direct'.

Question 15: By default, when will Google Analytics NOT be able to identify sessions from the same user?

When the sessions happen in different browsers on the same device (Correct answer)
When the sessions happen in the same browser on the same device
When the sessions happen in the same browser on the same day
When the sessions share the same browser cookie

Correct answer: When the sessions happen in different browsers on the same device

Google Analytics identifies users primarily through a client ID stored in a browser cookie. If a user switches browsers on the same device (e.g., from Chrome to Firefox), a new, separate cookie is created for the second browser. This prevents Google Analytics from linking the activity across different browser cookies, treating the user as two distinct individuals.

Question 16: What type of data does Google Analytics prohibit you from collecting?

Personally identifable information (Correct answer)
Purchase amount
Product SKU(s)
Billing city

Correct answer: Personally identifable information

Google Analytics' Terms of Service strictly prohibit the collection of Personally Identifiable Information (PII), such as names, email addresses, or social security numbers. This policy is in place to protect user privacy and ensure compliance with data protection regulations. Collecting PII can lead to account termination and legal issues.

Question 17: Which report indicates the last page users viewed before leaving your website?

Exit Pages report (Correct answer)
Landing Pages report
Pages report
All Pages report

Correct answer: Exit Pages report

The Exit Pages report specifically shows which pages users viewed immediately before leaving your website. This report is crucial for identifying pages where users frequently abandon their sessions, helping you pinpoint potential issues with content, navigation, or calls to action that might be causing users to exit prematurely.

Question 18: Which report helps you determine the percent of your site traffic that has visited previously?

New vs Returning report (Correct answer)
Sales Performance report
Frequency & Recency report
Referrals report

Correct answer: New vs Returning report

The New vs Returning report in Google Analytics directly compares the behavior of first-time visitors to those who have previously visited your site. It provides metrics like the percentage of new sessions versus returning sessions, helping you understand user loyalty and engagement over time. This report is essential for assessing audience retention strategies.

Question 19: Which of these channels is NOT included in the default Channels report?

Device (Correct answer)
Organic Search
Direct
Display

Correct answer: Device

The default Channels report categorizes traffic based on how users arrived at your site, such as Organic Search, Direct, Social, Referral, and Display. 'Device' (e.g., mobile, desktop, tablet) is a dimension that describes the technology used by the user, not a channel that explains the source of traffic. Device information is found in other reports like the Technology > Mobile report.

Question 20: Filters may be applied retroactively to any data that has been processed.

False (Correct answer)
True

Correct answer: False

Filters in Google Analytics are applied to data as it is being processed and collected, not retroactively. Once data has been processed and stored in a view, filters cannot be applied to change that historical data. Therefore, it's crucial to configure filters carefully before data collection begins, as they permanently alter the data in the view.

Question 21: How would you reduce the time it takes to compile reports in Google Analytics?

Choose “Faster response” in the sampling pulldown menu (Correct answer)
Choose “Greater Choose “Faster response” in the sampling pulldown menu
Choose “Greater precision” in the sampling pulldown menu
Remove any Secondary Dimensions you have added to the report
Remove any filters you have added to the view

Correct answer: Choose “Faster response” in the sampling pulldown menu

When Google Analytics processes large datasets, it sometimes uses data sampling to generate reports more quickly. Choosing 'Faster response' in the sampling pulldown menu instructs Analytics to use a smaller sample of data. This reduces the processing time and allows reports to load faster, though it may slightly decrease precision for very large datasets.

Question 22: You cannot change the default session timeout duration in Google Analytics.

False (Correct answer)
True

Correct answer: False

Google Analytics allows you to customize the default session timeout duration. This setting can be adjusted in the Admin section under Tracking Info > Session Settings. You might change this default (30 minutes) to better align with the typical user behavior on your specific website, for example, extending it for content-heavy sites or shortening it for quick transaction sites.

Question 23: Where in the HTML of your webpage should you place your Analytics tracking code?

Just before the closing </head> tag of your website (Correct answer)
Just after the opening <head> tag of your website
Just before the closing </body> tag of your website
Just after the opening <body> tag of your website

Correct answer: Just before the closing </head> tag of your website

The Google Analytics tracking code (gtag.js or analytics.js) should be placed as high as possible in the `<head>` section of your webpage. Specifically, it's recommended to place it just before the closing `</head>` tag. This ensures the tracking code loads and executes early, capturing as much user interaction as possible before the page fully renders.

Question 24: Which report demonstrates how well specific parts of your website performed?

Content Drilldown report (Correct answer)
Top Events report
Location report
Frequency and Recency report

Correct answer: Content Drilldown report

The Content Drilldown report in Google Analytics allows you to analyze the performance of specific sections or subdirectories of your website. It groups pages by their hierarchical structure (e.g., /blog/, /products/, /about/), enabling you to see how well different content areas are performing and identify popular or underperforming sections.

Question 25: What four parameters can you include with an event hit for reporting?

Category, Action, Label, Unique Events
Category, Action, Label, Total Events
Category, Action, Label, Value (Correct answer)
Event, Category, Action, Label

Correct answer: Category, Action, Label, Value

When tracking events in Google Analytics, you can include four primary parameters to provide detailed context: Category (a high-level grouping), Action (the specific interaction), Label (additional description), and Value (a numerical value associated with the event). These parameters help organize and analyze user interactions beyond standard page views.

Google Analytics Certification Exam Sample Questions 1

Which of these user characteristics CANNOT be used to create a Custom Segment?